Motown, Stax & Philly Soul. Pop, Doo-Wop & Rock and Roll.

Jerry Wexler, who as a reporter for Billboard magazine in the late 1940s christened black popular music rhythm and blues, and who as a record producer helped lead the genre to mainstream popularity, propelling the careers of Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and other performers, died on Friday at his home in Sarasota, Florida. He was 91.

The cause was congestive heart failure, said his son, Paul.

Wexler was already in his 30s when he entered the music business, but his impact was immediate and enduring. In 1987, the Rock and Hall of Fame recognized his contributions to American music by inducting him in only its second year of conferring such honors.

Thank you for all your many historical contributions to modern music Mr. Wexler. I especially appreciate you coining the term R&B to eliminate the term “race music” from our American vernacular and then presenting to the world some of the best R&B acts of our time. R.I.P.